


Human

by tastygoldentaters



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Enemies With Benefits, F/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:14:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29316933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tastygoldentaters/pseuds/tastygoldentaters
Summary: It's just human to have needs, but neither of them were sure if they were really human. Aeris and Sephiroth end up in an enemies-with-benefits arrangement, but they both know it has an expiration date.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Sephiroth
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Human

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tannarys](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tannarys/gifts).



> This work is tagged as Mature because it was intended to be a smut oneshot, but I got excited and was waaay past the wordcount I set out to write before anything explicit happened, but I decided I'd give everyone a heads-up because the whole premise of the fic is... mutual assistance with sexual needs, so. Yeah. Enjoy

Aeris had felt lonely all her life, but right now she was relieved to finally get some time alone. The past few weeks had been… _overwhelming_ was an understatement. Not that her daily life was average in any way, far from that, but a life in the slums with the occasional encounter with a Turk or with small monsters didn’t compare to her most recent adventures. She had played dress-up with a mercenary, gone undercover to save a cute girl from a mob boss, seen the Midgar plate fall apart, then she’d been held captive in a laboratory, escaping from there with a talking fire dog, only to find some dark hero from the past had gone on a murdering spree… and that was only the beginning. She had been to Kalm, ridden a chocobo through the marshes, gone through Mythril mines, seen a bird so huge she couldn’t believe it was real… All of this within the short timespan in which this odd group was formed. Truly, she didn’t really mind being a part of it, but it was something new.

Being alone all the time really messes with your perception of normal human interaction. Is this a conversation or am I just talking at someone? Are they listening? Can they understand? She believed that most of the time people could not, and her new companions were no exception. Aeris had learned not to open up to people before she even learned to tie her shoes. She learned to counter the weird looks she got from people with a smile; they didn’t know any better, it really wasn’t that big of a deal, why was she even sad about it? Sometimes she’d get angry at herself for feeling sad, but she shouldn’t feel angry either! That would just push people away! It would be best to keep a safe distance, that way she wouldn’t get hurt. 

For someone who tried to stay detached, she sure did smile a lot, all the while thinking “look at me! I am conversing! With a person! Ain’t that fun! I am normal!” and feeling her cheeks hurt a bit. She started taking her interactions with others less and less seriously — if she had a Gil for every socially inept moment she had, she wouldn’t need to sell flowers. It was better to embrace her weirdness and laugh it off, even if she ended up laughing alone, and stick to the role of a cheeky flower girl, and not… well, definitely not one of the last living Ancients. She heard there was a possibility of the man they were chasing being an Ancient too, and she couldn’t deny it made her intrigued, even hopeful at first, but those feelings faded the more she heard about him. A man who burns down villages and impales huge swamp snakes with dead trees was not someone she’d choose to get close to, and she wasn’t one to get close to others to begin with.

They had just arrived in Junon, thanks to the information the new Turk girl — she had no idea girls could look so _good_ in suits, and Aeris kinda wished Elena was the one chasing her around back in Midgar, instead of Reno — leaked when they met in the Mythril mines. Despite the information, they were yet to find a way to Upper Junon, where they were supposed to find Sephiroth. In the meantime, Aeris had the opportunity to see the sun setting in the ocean for the first time in her life, and the view was as stunning as the mines they had just passed through. To her, it was worth all the challenges they had been put through so far; there was so much of the world she still wanted to see, and after being stuck in the slums for so long, she felt now she was truly living.

…

Her first experience at the beach hadn’t turned out the way she had hoped — instead of watching the gorgeous orange sunset, they had fought a floating sea monster to protect a little girl, Priscilla. The sun was already down when they finally got her to safety, and everyone was so spent from the fight that there was no opposition to Priscilla’s grandfather when he offered them a hot meal and a place to stay the night. Aeris was sore all over. Part of it was the exhaustion from the long journey, then there was the aftermath of the fight — the group had relied heavily on her spellcasting to defeat the monster, since close ranged attacks weren’t exactly feasible against that huge floating thing. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she was also tired of being around people; she really needed some quiet time to recharge. After dinner, she got a handful of Gil, her staff — equipped with materia just in case, and excused herself to an evening walk.

The town was pretty quiet compared to the slums — no bright lights or loud noises, and the soft breeze gave her chills even though the night was so warm; these tiny new experiences were something she could only now pay attention to. Older locals sat on chairs placed in front of their houses and chatted or idly watched the younger ones pass them by. It wasn’t as pretty as Kalm, but it had its own charm. Still better than Sector 5. The ground was paved, the buildings were simple but looked safe enough, and there weren’t any homeless folk trying to survive on their own. Back in the slums, she’d sometimes stop by and help people if she could; a healing spell, or some leftover snacks from her commute to and from the plate, sometimes bottled water. She visited some of them more regularly, but there were others that she’d only see once and never again. She tried not to dwell on those thoughts. She had to get used to the feeling of so many merging with the lifestream on a daily basis, but it still got to her. It definitely did when the plate fell… to say she was over it would be a horrible lie. But here, things were quieter than what she was used to. She couldn’t help but smile and feel happy for those who lived here, and glad the rest of the world wasn’t as miserable as the one she knew.

A small newsstand caught her eye. Not for the newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, and assorted small items that were on display, but because of the vendor, a round and sweaty man, who gave her a kind smile. Small encounters like these made her feel less lonely: for a brief moment, she could connect with someone, and knowing it wouldn’t last removed the pressure of performing a social role. She walked up to him and noticed he sold snacks too, and they were not the prepackaged stuff she was used to. These seemed to be homemade, and the one that stood out was a jar of what seemed to be chocobo-shaped chocolates. The jar had a handwritten label on it, _chocobites_. Someone had spent their time and effort making each one of them, probably someone this man knew personally. The chain of smiles that would come from an interaction like this was worth a lot.

“Excuse me, Mr… How much for these?”

“5 pieces for a Gil, dearie!”

1 Gil? Compared to the chain of smiles? That was a _steal_.

…

Aeris went down the cobblestone steps that led to the beach. Even though the night was warm, the wind was very strong, stronger than the delicate breeze she had felt there before; that didn’t take anything away from the beauty of the place, on the contrary: the smell of waves, along with the force of the wind, seemed to have a healing effect on her body — her muscles relaxed and her lids closed as she let herself be swept up by another new experience the Planet was giving her.

After giving herself this moment, she looked for a place to sit. She had bought more chocolate than she intended to, but she was easily convinced by the old man’s smile. Funny that she wasn’t immune to an earnest and friendly vendor, being one herself. She chuckled and looked around to find somewhere to enjoy the view and her snack. It was somewhat concerning that the water level seemed to have risen since the fight — was it going to keep rising? Was that even normal? She didn’t want to feel too important, but it crossed her mind that maybe her connection with the Planet had something to do with it. There were some smooth rocks not too far from the stone steps and— 

She was not alone. The person probably didn’t want to be noticed, since they were covered in a black hood, sitting on one of the smooth rocks and looking away. The battered fabric, the frayed ends… she’d seen too many people like them before. Just like the Mako addicts from the slums, but she didn’t expect to see one of them here… if they were indeed one of the sick people she was so used to, she doubted they were here on vacation. Oh well. A person in need is a person in need.

Aeris approached them slowly, making sure not to sneak on them but also trying not to scare them away. She set her things on a nearby rock and lowered herself to sit next to the cloaked person.

“It’s a lovely night, isn’t it?”

The person looked up, and in the secluded area of the beach, lit only by the lampposts on the street nearby, she could see that the man she was talking to had SOLDIER eyes. Not like Zack’s, or Cloud’s, they weren’t a bright sky blue. They were the colour of pure Mako, a shade of blue-green she only saw in ShinRa facilities.

She sat down and unwrapped one of the chocolates she had bought.

“Want some?”

**Author's Note:**

> I've spent quite some time working on this, but then COVID happened and I just ignored all my WIPs while I sold my soul to capitalism to make ends meet. I'm still in the same situation, but I decided to set aside time for writing, for the sake of my mental health! I can't promise consistent updates, but I can promise to do my best! <3
> 
> Please leave a comment if you have opinions on this, it'll make my day!


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